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Editor's Page

In the annual Naval Review we look forward each May to hearing from the senior leaders of the Sea Services and this year is no different. We lead off the 2010 Review with a look inside

the new Quadrennial Defense Review from Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary Roughead, who sets out to answer the question, "What does it mean ? " According to him, the QDR follows quite nicely with the tenets and priorities embraced in 2007's A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower, which details the relevance of naval forces.

Next, Vice Admiral William R. Burke emphasizes that the new QDR is "not business as usual," as critics of the document were quick to claim. In fact, Vice Admiral Burke points out that previous QDRs envisioned threats on the horizon that are now in fact today's threats. And the new document lays out its own singular strategy for dealing with those challenges.

I want to take this opportunity to recognize and thank all those who toil on the most complicated issue we produce each year. The Naval Review is a bear to assemble and it takes lots of advance work, especially from the authors of our service reviews. Some are veterans of many campaigns with us, such as Scott Truver, Shashi Kumar, Jan Jacobs, Joe DiRenzo, Chris Doane, and Sam Morison. Others are first timers like retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel John C. Berry, who stepped in this year to pen the Corps' contribution. Our photo editor Amy Voight has the unenviable task of herding cats, also known as getting all the Navy's senior officers to provide their updated photos in a timely fashion for the flag list, while our designers Kelly Erlinger and Jen Mabe produce twice the number of layouts as for a normal issue.

But the person who handles perhaps the most difficult aspects of this issue is our senior editor Jim Caiella. In addition to his normal monthly editing duties, he gathers and proofs all the organization charts, Congressional committee lists, and reference material you'll find in the back of this month's magazine. He's also responsible for editing the comprehensive listing of U.S. battle force changes that so many of our readers look forward to each year. He has performed these arduous duties without complaint every spring since he joined the Naval Institute staff in March 2005.

That's why it's going to be so difficult to say goodbye to Jim as he leaves us for a new post with the Marine Corps University Press. Starting at the Institute a few weeks before I did, Jim was a fixture in his office, surrounded by shelves full of naval history and reference works. He was usually the first in the building, arriving a little after 0600, and often one of the last to leave. It will be very unsettling now to walk past that office and see it empty. His vast knowledge of ships and aircraft, in addition to his technical expertise, was invaluable to us in sniffing out when something wasn't right in a story.

Readers may or may not know that Jim is a veteran news photographer from his previous life and a talented artist as well. He provided artwork for numerous gatefolds and articles in Naval History as well as for stories he edited in Proceedings. His artwork is also offered for sale though our Heritage Group. While this is a tough loss for us, it is a great opportunity for Jim and speaks well of his accomplishments at USNI. Although his position will be filled, he can never be replaced. Please join me in wishing Jim fair winds and following seas.

I do have some belated good news to report, however. In late January Eric Mills joined the staff as our new associate editor. Actually, Eric has rejoined us, as he is a former denizen of the Naval Institute Press - as both an acquisitions editor and author. He left us a few years ago, but he couldn't resist USNI's allure and came back to try his hand at the magazine end of the operation. Welcome aboard, Eric!

Some of you may remember with fondness the Naval Institute bookstore located in Preble Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy and mourned when it closed in late 2005 in advance of the building's restoration. With the reopening of the Naval Academy Museum, a new gift shop occupies the old bookstore location. Operated by the Academy's Visitor Center, it offers a selection of Naval Institute Press titles in its inventory, so be sure to stop in next time you are on the yard.